Visa Categories

Religious Workers

Ordained ministers and other full time religious workers may apply for immigrant visas to work with an established religious organization in the United States. There are three requirements for such visas:

• The applicant must be engaged full time in religious activities. Such occupations include ordained ministers, members of religious organizations such as nuns, monks, religious instructors, or specialists in the performance of religious rituals;
• The applicant must have been a full time religious worker in such a field for at least two years immediately prior to the visa application;
• The applicant must be joining an established religious denomination with a bonafide organization in the United States.
  
   

Applying for the religious worker visa is a two-step process...

First, ministers of religion or religious workers must have their prospective employer file an I-360 employment-based visa petition with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security(DHS), Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) office having jurisdiction over the proposed area of activity in the U.S. The spouse and unmarried children (under 21) of a religious worker are also eligible for visas based on the same petition. 

The U.S. Department of State, National Visa Center (NVC) receives the approved I-360  
from the CIS.  NVC contacts the applicant and petitioner with instructions for submitting the appropriate processing fees.  After the appropriate processing fees are paid, NVC contacts the applicant and petitioner to request that the necessary immigrant visa documentation be submitted to the NVC. 

Applicants who have completed the necessary forms and submitted documents to the National Visa Center (NVC) for their visa appointments, will be scheduled for interviews.

Approximately one month before the applicant’s scheduled interview appointment with a consular officer, the applicant will receive an appointment letter containing the date and time of the applicant’s visa interview along with instructions for obtaining a medical examination.

NVC cannot guarantee how long it may be before the applicant is scheduled for an appointment for a visa interview.  Please call or write to the NVC (NVC Contact Information) if the circumstances of the applicant change.  For example:

• Change of address
• Change of marital status
• Death of petitioner
• Birth or adoption of additional children, or
• NVC has requested additional information

Learn more about the processing in NVC

The U.S. Embassy is closed on both U.S. and Korean holidays.

Updated April 18, 2008